McDavid/Kaprizov Extensions, Matthew Tkachuk, & More NHL Rumours – The Hockey Writers – NHL Rumors

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we look at Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov, who appear to be heading toward a path of being the next two highest-paid players in the league. Elsewhere, we look at the Florida Panthers and that they could be missing Matthew Tkachuk for some time. Finally, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to get younger, and Nicholas Robertson could make sense for them to bring in.

McDavid & Kaprizov Expected to Be 2 Highest-Paid Players

There has been a lot of talk about contract extensions for both McDavid and Kaprizov. There have been reports about the deals being fairly easy ones to get done, but the fact that they are still yet to be extended has people asking questions.

Elliotte Friedman returned to the microphone for a mid-summer check-in on 32 Thoughts and referred to the salary cap increase and the fact that the market is taking a “reset” with the new cap. Players are being paid more and more each season, and are looking for shorter term as they are able to maximize their earnings this way. Of course, the risk to a short deal is injury or performance drop-off, but for players like McDavid and Kaprizov, securing another significant payday is not a concern.

Friedman noted that the expectation around the league is that these two are going to lead the way in terms of being the highest-paid players for the next wave of signings. He also mentioned that teams are aware of the top-10 and bottom-10 contract lists from The Athletic, and don’t like being on either list as it impacts their negotiating.

Related: NHL Rumours: Robertson, Kadri, Canadian Olympic Roster, Canucks

There was no true update on what is going on in the negotiations for either player.

Matthew Tkachuk Injury to Eat Into 2025-26 Season

Later in the podcast, Friedman mentioned Tkachuk and his health. Looking back at last season, Tkachuk was injured coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off, and missed the remaining games in the regular season. He wasn’t 100 percent healthy in the playoffs when he did play, and according to Friedman, he is not going to start the season for the Panthers.

It is unclear how long Tkachuk is going to be sitting out, but Friedman noted that he is more than…